Bhadrag
Bhadrag is what would be produced if Venice and Mos Eisley had a child. A hive of scum and villainy indeed, with seven distinct and devious districts. Even admist the scramble for wealth, power and survival, there is the presence of some government. Power is shared between the Regent Lord, a "pirate" of sorts who rules from the docked ship Chimera in Black Mouth Bay, and the Diamond Council, the elite and wealthy of The Principalities, who use their gold and influence to make and enforce policy within the city. The most significant new legislation of late was the outlawing of divine magic and the worship of deities from Bhadrag. Now approaching its 10th year the ban on the divine has been met with both jubilation and horror. An underground organization continues to worship in secret while in the open streets most of the population greets each other with the saying of the people: "By Man and Man Alone." Set in this environment, in a large workshop in the Runoff district, the heroes spend their time hard at work. Seaside Metalworks has built up a reputation for fine craftsmanship and the foreman, an ambitious man named Daven Kelvas, pushes his workers towards excellence. Another district of note is Siren's Retreat, formerly a poor district now lifted up by the wealth brought in by pirates under the rule of the Regent Lord. Several Pirate Captains that has accuired wealth pillaging on the sea and at foreign coast lines have started to build manors in Siren's Retreat just across the river from the Principalities where the Old Money resides. History: Whilst only a growing town, Bhadrag was a part of a local Mage council. Bhadrag was the scene of a large riot that destroyed the Mage district at modern day Mudhole. The riots lasted four days, destroying most of the mage district. The wreckage of the riots were used as building material for the new district of Mudhole. Recent Events: A priest was preaching about his god on a street corner, but it was not long before the cities various thugs beat him to death. Major Factions: The Restorers- The people who secretly worship the gods. There are levels of this organization. All gods of a lawful, good or neutral alignment are tolerated to be worshiped in the Order and many have a shrine set up, within the Order's secluded hideouts. Joining is a hard and long process do to the manner of the Order. Dispite the Order's good intentions, the leaders are willing to pay assassins to kill susipicous citizens or members that are getting cold feet. Black Heart Pirates - A gang of pirates, lead by a pirate warlord formerly called The Crimson Scourge, now Black Hand, that rules Bhadrag. The Ford Thieves - Based out of the Tackleford District, and are a small but renowned guild of thieves. The Diamond Council - Now driven out of the city this group formerly held the city under its tight control, banishing divine magic for very nearly a decade. Significant Locations: The Glassy Eye district - The district is the northern eastern district of Bhadrag and is located between the sea and the Tola River. The district mainly inhabited by fishermen and fishmongers, it is named for the glassy looking eyes of the fish that according to local legend follows you around if you are up to no good, the district is home to the northern lighthouse of the twin eyes. The Chimera - A strikingly large Man-o-War vessel that has been permanently grounded on the shoals of the Sakumn river outlet. A trio of figureheads glares markedly toward each coast of the bay... The Scarlet Lady - An iron rich river, which gives its water a red tint. Its name, as one story of many goes, before Bhadrag became the city it is now, a crew of fishermen chased a mermaid from Black Mouth Bay in the inland along the river until they cornered her on the shore of what is now called the Siren's Retreat. Exhausted, the poor lass wasn't able to fend against the bloodthirsty humans, and as she laid dying, bleeding to death in the river, she cursed the river that never again, it would carry fish for the man to catch and feed on. And true to her words, never in years, a fish has been seen in the reddish waters of that river. Plot Hooks: A dead body washes up on the shore. There's a riot in the mudhole about blank. A baker's house is on fire. "By Man and Man Alone" A celebration is imminent within the city of Bhadrag; for the last 10 years divine magic has been outlawed within the city. A group of clerics using the powers of their Gods assassinated the previous Pirate Regent which led to strife and civil unrest within the city. During this time the Diamond Council based within The Principalities rises to power and outlaws divine magic within the city walls, and now for 10 years the city has been a relatively safe place. The Diamond Council is about to celebrate a decade of absence and reprieve from divine magic. Near the Northern shores of Black Mouth Bay within the district known as "The Runoff" lies The Seaside Metalworks, a hub for Engineers, Craftsmen, Laborers, and the like to produce fantastic and exceptional creations. Three men of no particular import reside here, Rurik Fireforge; a Dwarf whose smithing skill is put to good use at the metalworks, Maelark Greystag; A Human who does not talk much about his past, and Rost Geer Griddings; a Gnome whose technological prowess cannot be denied. Daven Kelvas the foreman of the Seaside Metalworks has announced that the Seaside will be providing a great wonder to commemorate the anniversary. What this wonder is though is not shared with the various workers of the Seaside. Daven assigns a task to the party to retrieve Adamantite that is being stockpiled at the nearby Amber Vein Mine. Within the mine the group faces off against various troubles, namely Troglodytes and a wild Xorn looking to consume the Adamantite. The dwarves, led by Dunbar the Dwarf, who work the Amber Vein Mine are grateful for the party's intervention in clearing the mine of the various Monster's inhabiting the mine. Returning to the city with the retrieved adamantite the party encounters Diamond Council guards harassing an Elf and a young woman. The woman has been apparently caught exercising divine magic. The party is offered a choice by the guards to either help them in prosecuting these divine magic users or be counted amongst them. The party chooses to stand and fight against the guards. The party escapes with the help of their newfound friends, a young human cleric named Trovah and a beguiling Elf rogue named Lendir who has traveled from the North to find his friend, a cleric named Erin Winddriver. Trovah implores the party to visit her later that night and to join the underground resistance of divine magic users known as "The Restorers". The party returns to The Seaside to discharge their shipment where Lendir learns that The Seaside seems to be building some sort of underwater vessel. The party also learns that the workers at The Seaside are now being surveilled by the Diamond Council's guards. Leaving the Seaside for the night the party reconvenes at The Drunken Sheperd in order to further investigate the claims of a resistance made by Trovah and after some deliberation the party agrees that they are all willing to explore this further. Approaching the bartender and receiving a mysterious bottle of wine, the party investigates further and ingests the wine and parchment wrapping stating "take this message inside you and be shown the way". At once a mysterious and magical trail is revealed to them and allows them to discover a tunnel ending with a stone wall pocked by 3 symbols: a triangle, circle, and star. After various attempts to solve the riddle of symbols the party dispels the magical seals with necromantic, transmutative, and evocative magics being the keys. This leads them into a dark and dank maze of tunnels with a nearly unbearable stench of refuse as well as a mysterious voice or voices repeating only one word, "hungry". Within the maze of tunnels the party discovers a pin that Lendir knows to have belonged to his friend Winddriver. In the heat of the search the party rushes to investigate the remains of what seems to be the young cleric Winddriver and is ambushed by two Otyughs feasting upon the refuse within as well as poor travelers passing by. After a grueling battle with the tentacled beasts the party, battered but victorious, carry the remains of Lendir's friend through the rest of the tunnels and are welcomed at the door of The Restorers who are saddened by the loss of Erin Winddriver. The party rests their weary selves for the night and are welcomed in the morning by an unlikely band, brought together to see the end of the Diamond Council. These are The Restorers...